What to Know
The legal battle between Richard Simmons’ brother and his housekeeper isn’t over, and it actually just keeps getting messier. Richard named Teresa Reveles Muro, his housekeeper of nearly four decades, and his brother Lenny as co-trustees of his estate. A few months after Richard’s death, Teresa took legal action against Lenny, claiming that he took advantage of her when she was in a “vulnerable” state and tricked her into declining the co-trustee role. It’s been over a year since that happened, but Lenny and Teresa have not resolved their issues.
Teresa became co-trustee again — but now Lenny is challenging that.
In December 2024, a judge appointed Teresa as “interim co-trustee.” Now, about a year after Teresa was reinstated, Lenny is pushing back on this decision, claiming that working with Teresa is too challenging, according to a report from Us Weekly. Per the report, Lenny is seeking help from “a neutral third party.” Apparently, if Teresa steps back from being a trustee, he will do the same. But if she doesn’t? He thinks the court should remove her from her role as co-trustee.
And it’s actually far messier than this because both parties have accused each other of being greedy, and Lenny has claimed that Teresa is using her role as co-trustee to “pursue her revenge” over an alleged long list of grievances.
According to Lenny’s lawyer, “Teresa is upset that Richard named Leonard the beneficiary of his life insurance policy and did not include her” and “she is upset that the Trust terminated her services as Richard’s house manager approximately seventy-five days after he died,” among other things.
Meanwhile, Teresa has reportedly said that Richard “would roll over in his grave if he knew what his brother Leonard has done since his tragic death,” per the publication.
Lenny has made similar claims about Teresa.
Previously, the Simmons family released a statement accusing Teresa of “greed” and also tried to say that Richard would be “heartbroken” if he knew about her behavior. “Richard’s message was always one of joy and positivity. He would be heartbroken to learn of Teresa’s greed and insulted that she would diminish their three decades of supposed friendship in such a public way,” the statement read, per the Daily Mail. “Her actions threaten to harm Richard’s incredible legacy, which we are working hard to preserve.”
Meanwhile, Teresa previously accused Lenny of working to “exploit Richard’s name and image.”
Teresa and Richard had a very close relationship, as she spent about 36 years with him. She said he was like a brother or a father to her. Shortly after his death, Richard’s family seemed appreciative of Teresa’s support and presence in Richard’s life. In July 2024, Lenny told People, “Teresa was extremely loyal and trustworthy. She loved my brother, and he loved her. We are blessed to have Teresa in our lives.”
